Development and experimental investigation of lead-free PMMA/Bi2O3 nanocomposites for gamma radiation shielding applications.

A recently synthesized lead-free PMMA nanocomposite modified with Bi2O3:SiO2 was assessed for its structural, optical, and radiation shielding qualities. The samples were synthesized using the process of solution casting at ambient temperature, with chloroform as a solvent. Bi2O3:SiO2 weight percentages of 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, and 25% were progressively added to the dissolved PMMA of the nanocomposites. As the Bi2O3:SiO2 content increased, indirect and direct energy band gaps shrank from 5.57 to 2.54 and 4.64-2.69, respectively. On the other hand, as the concentration of Bi2O3:SiO2 increased, the refractive index rose from 1.92 to 2.53. The density of the samples increased from 2.729 g/cm3 for Pure PMMA to 3.631 g/cm3 for 25%, causing increase in LAC at all energy levels, which as an illustration, rises from 1.05 cm-1 for Pure PMMA to 1.707 cm-1 for 25% at 60 keV energy level, while from 0.146 cm-1 for Pure PMMA to 0.201 cm-1 for 25% at 1333 keV energy level. PMMA/25%Bi2O3:SiO2 demonstrated excellence shielding performance among other samples investigated, making it a potential candidate for radiation protection.